Why is my arthritic dog's stomach upset from Metacam or omega-3?

It it upsets his stomach you shouldn't give it again, it has the potential to cause a stomach ulcer and it will be much worse if it happens. he needs new meds that won't affect his stomach as much, and you can only get it from the vet.

I just love longhair Chihuahuas. It’s a shame there aren’t more. Metacam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is used to treat pain. And from what I gather from your question is that is the only thing that will make him/her feel better. Therefore, your dog is experiencing some kind of monthly pain that is causing the stomach upset and wide eyes. With this in mind, I believe you should make an appointment at your veterinarian as soon as possible to perhaps have some diagnostic tests like blood work and x-rays performed. He is 12 years old and I want to make sure that he doesn’t have any issues with his kidneys, Liver, gastrointestinal system, or musculoskeletal system. This may be as simple as finding out that your dog has food allergies, gastric ulcers, or a dietary indicrestion. If this is the case, the veterinarian may start you on a daily anti-emetic, an H2 blocker like cimetidine, or even a daily probiotic. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have provided some help.

Hello! From your description I'm interpreting that Kobe is most likely receiving Adequan injections, although it would be helpful to know for sure what these arthritis injections are. If Kobe is receiving Adequan, these injections are quite effective for helping arthritis and are usually well tolerated. However, any medication can have side effects, and while issues with Adequan are not common, transient diarrhea is listed among the reported adverse reactions. When it happens, the diarrhea is typically mild and self limiting. If you're seeing a pattern and believe the GI issues are consistently related to the Adequan, I recommend talking to your vet about other treatment options for the arthritis, such as NSAID therapy and joint protective supplements such as fish oil and glucosamine. Hope this helps.

If the supplement is new then yes, it can cause some diarrhea. I would suggest lowering the dose and switching her to a bland diet. You can try to slowly increase the supplement. If her diarrhea continues try switching brands or contact your veterinarian.

I am sorry to hear about Tasha! Many dogs take NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) long term with no negative consequences. It is the rare case where the liver or kidney may be affected or the GI tract experiences upset. This is why we recommend blood work to monitor every 6 to 12 months when pets take the medicine long term, and often the effects are reversible. If your dog is in pain, I would follow your vet's advice and use the medication. There are other NSAIDs also available, a newer one called Galliprant is supposed to have less risks though it hasn't been used as long, so we don't know for certain if those claims are true. Other options also include omega fatty acid supplements, glucosamine chondroitin supplements, Adequan injections, acupuncture and laser therapy, so you can ask your vet about these options as well if you decide to take a different route.

Oral Metacam should be ideally stopped and as a first approach I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello. Sildenafil does not cause any known stomach issues, so no real precautions are needed, but it never hurts to give a medication with a little food ( unless it specifically says to give on an empty stomach ). Sildenafil has no know precautions like this. Kidney failure definitely can cause nausea & vomiting. You may need to discuss the use of anti-nausea medications such as Cerenia to keep Memi comfortable. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.